Dumb Question, How long do I have to wait to eat after getting fillings?

Hi Everyone,

I just got back from getting my first round of fillings. It wasn't as bad as I thought, but thats because they had to numb the heck outta me. I didn't really eat today because I was really nervous. But as I soon as I walked in my house, my stomache started grumbling.

I know I should def wait until the novacane wears off. But when it does, and I do eat, is it going to ruin the fillings? Obviously not going to have steak. I was thinking more of rice with chicken?

I know it's probably a dumb question, but this is the first time I ever got fillings and I forgot to ask when i was leaving, so I have no clue.

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Re: Dumb Question, How long do I have to wait to eat after getting fillings?

Wait 24 hours to eat on the amalgam fillings. With composites (white fillings), you can eat right away but I tell patients to wait until the anesthesia wears off because that reduces the likelihood of you biting your cheek/lip.

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Re: Dumb Question, How long do I have to wait to eat after getting fillings?

Originally Posted by decan

Wait 24 hours to eat on the amalgam fillings. With composites (white fillings), you can eat right away but I tell patients to wait until the anesthesia wears off because that reduces the likelihood of you biting your cheek/lip.

Maybe you use different type of amalgam in the USA . Just remembered I had an amalgam in last 4 years as well as composite. I asked if I had to wait 4 hours like in 1970s and they said no, to just go easy on something soft for the first few hours.
Telling people they need to wait 24 hours to eat after a filling is a great way of selling them a composite I would have thought. Amazing difference in what people are told here.

Not such a dumb question OP, since there is big difference of opinion here. Hey - what another great reason to hate going to the dentist...guess what you cannot eat for 24 hours after an amalgam filling.

Last edited by brit; 4th December 2011 at 09:30.

It's the 21st Century.......dentistry can and should be painless but we patients come unstuck because all dentists are not created equal

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Re: Dumb Question, How long do I have to wait to eat after getting fillings?

Seems there are many views on this:
USA website:http://www.hilltopdentistry.com/html/afterfilling.htmlQUOTE: Amalgam (Silver) Fillings
You should wait to eat soft foods until the anesthesia you received wears off and you have your feeling back in your cheek, lips and tongue. If you are hungry you can have something soft, such as soup. You should wait to eat hard foods until at least six hours have passed after you leave our office, to allow the amalgam filling time to harden.' END QUOTE

It's the 21st Century.......dentistry can and should be painless but we patients come unstuck because all dentists are not created equal

The Following User Says Thank You to brit For This Useful Post:

Re: Dumb Question, How long do I have to wait to eat after getting fillings?

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer!!!

I lost internet connection for a few days and couldn't reply. But I did get the composite/white fillings. I ended up having soup once the novacane wore off. Although my next challenges were brushing my teeth, I have an electric toothbrush and was worried about some how dislogding them,so I used my manual. Then when I had popped a piece of gum in my mouth I was like uh oh. Man, I wish my brain would just shut up at times haha.

I have to go this Saturday for round 2 of fillings, only one this time. I think I got at least 2 more after that, but that'll be next year sometime because it's just so expensive for the composite.

I will make sure I eat before hand next time and keep a can soup ready for when I get back!

Thanks again everyone, the information has been beyond helpful and I really appreciate it!!

Re: Dumb Question, How long do I have to wait to eat after getting fillings?

Originally Posted by brit

Seems there are many views on this:
USA website:http://www.hilltopdentistry.com/html/afterfilling.htmlQUOTE: Amalgam (Silver) Fillings
You should wait to eat soft foods until the anesthesia you received wears off and you have your feeling back in your cheek, lips and tongue. If you are hungry you can have something soft, such as soup. You should wait to eat hard foods until at least six hours have passed after you leave our office, to allow the amalgam filling time to harden.' END QUOTE

Beware of what you read on websites. The compressive strength of amalgam is 118 MPa (megapascals) after 1 hour and goes up to ~340 MPa when measured at day 7. The dimensional change stabilizes in about 24 hours. (Source: Craig's Restorative Dental Materials; Powers and Sakaguchi, 12th edition). This is why it is recommended to chew hard foods on the other side of the mouth and stick to soft foods on the side that received the filling for 24 hours. Nobody said anything about not eating at all.